In Illo Tempore

"As she walked down toward the flowery meadows near the sea, what Europa was carrying, embossed in precious metals, was her destiny...  She carried it along, without thinking." 

- The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, p.6

   Calasso's words are indicative of not only Europa's nature, but the nature of humanity as a whole.  Like innocent, absent-minded, perhaps naive Europa, we too carry along with us, unknowingly, our myths in the makings; our destinies.  Whether our destiny manifests itself in a literal, physical embodiment, or in a more ephemeral vestment, is irrelevant; our fates lie within our essence, resting, waiting to unfold either way.  

   Therein lies the very meaning of the myth; to draw upon parallels.  Myths serve to teach a certain moral, to deepen one's understanding of "self".  The heroes and heroines, the deities and demigods, and even the Gods themselves make mistakes.  They can be outwitted, deceived and even wounded.  They are tragically flawed - much like their mortal counterparts; us.  Through the characters' imperfections, the reader is allowed a certain level of empathy, a connection.  The reader can experience what the characters experienced, vicariously learning the nature of humankind from the nature of godhood, and hopefully, as to not repeat them, learn from their mistakes.    

But we all know that is far too much to hope for.